


Tell the World I'm Coming Home

by Peggys_Carter



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggys_Carter/pseuds/Peggys_Carter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Steve Rogers was been found after two years? What if he and Peggy had another chance at a life together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Excuse the terrible summary. This was originally supposed to be chapter of 'To Me You Are Perfect' but I couldn't get the timeline to line up so I'm starting over.
> 
> This chapter is for my sunshine, Darby :) Happy 18th Birthday!

It was almost midnight and Peggy was already in bed when the phone started ringing. Grumbling, she rolled over to answer it, “hello?” she mumbled into the mouthpiece

“Hey Pegs, it’s Daniel.”

“Daniel, Angie isn’t back yet. I think she may have gone on tonight since Susan wasn’t feeling well.”

“Oh that’s wonderful news, but that’s not what I was calling about. Um...” there was a brief pause, “could you come into the office?

“Daniel, it’s midnight!”

“I know, I’m sorry. But this is really important and I can’t talk about it over the phone.”

“Fine, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thanks Peg,” Daniel said before hanging up.

As Peggy got dress, she heard Angie come in the door.

“Oh English, you’re still up! Wonderful, let’s make some hot chocolate and have a midnight snack. Or maybe we can find some schnapps.”

“I would love to, Angie, but unfortunately I have to go into the office”

“At this hour?”

“Daniel said it was important. I’m sorry love. Get some rest and I want to hear all about the show in the morning,” Peggy said, giving Angie a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Alright. Come home safe, English. And say hi to Danny for me”

Peggy stepped outside and realised that there would be no taxis at this hour. She began walking when a car pulled up beside her. “Good evening Ms. Carter,” Jarvis said, getting out to open the door for her.

“Good evening Mr. Jarvis. And what does your wife think you are doing at this hour?” Peggy replied opening her own door before Jarvis was even halfway around the car.

“She believes Mr. Stark is in dire need of assistance. I’m not lying to her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh so Howard is involved in this too. What is going on Mr. Jarvis?”

“I think I should let Mr. Stark explain it to you,” Jarvis said as he drove off.

Peggy sighed. She knew Jarvis wasn’t going to explain anything to her. As he drove, she realised they were going to Howard’s private residence and not to the SSR office. When he parked the car he rushed out to open the door for her but she calmly stepped out of the car before he reached her.

“I am perfectly capable of opening my own door, Mr. Jarvis,” she said.

“I am aware of that, Ms. Carter. However, that does not mean I won’t stop trying.”

As soon as they entered the house, Howard immediately made a beeline towards them through everyone running around. "Pegs I'm so glad you made it you're just in time actually, they're just about to arrive."

 

"Who is about to arrive? Howard, what's going on?" Peggy asked, grabbing Howard's arm before he could run off again.

 

"You'll see, Pegs"

 

"No, tell me now or else I'm leaving."

 

Howard paused a moment before whispering, "I found him, Peggy. I found Steve."

 

Peggy stepped back, releasing Howard's arm, "you found his body?" She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

 

"No Peggy, I found him. He's alive. I don't know how, but he's coming home."

 

"They're here!" Sousa called from his position at the window. Suddenly everyone was frantic, Howard ran to the door to meet the men carrying Steve and the scientists were running everywhere making sure everything was ready. And in the middle of it all, Peggy stood rooted where howard had left her, unable to move. All she could do was watch as Steve was carried in and laid on the table in Howard's lab where everything was set up.

 

"Are you quite alright, Ms. Carter?" Jarvis asked.

 

Suddenly shaken from her daze Peggy replied, "I'm feeling rather faint, Mr. Jarvis."

 

Jarvis guided her to a seat nearby where she could still see what was going on and then went to get her some water.

 

As Peggy sat waiting, Sousa walked over to see how she was doing, "it's a lot to take in, isn't it?" He asked. 

"I never thought I'd see him again," Peggy replied, not taking her eyes off of Steve. "After all this time..." She paused for a moment, "I used to think about all things I never said to him when he was here and how now I'd never be able to. After a while I finally accepted that he was gone. But now that I have the chance to say these things to him, I don't know if I can. I'm sorry Daniel, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

 

"Don't worry about it Peggy."

 

"Here you are, Ms. Carter," Jarvis said returning with a glass of water.

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis," Peggy said, taking a sip.

 

Sousa stepped back to give her some space when Thompson walked up to him, "I guess Marge doesn't need you after all."

 

"It's a lot for her to take in, Jack. She thought he was dead. We all did."

 

"I mean you missed your chance. Now there's no way she's gonna trade in a red, white, and blue shield for an aluminum crutch”

 

"Shut up Thompson, you know I'm seeing Angie now."

 

"I see how you look at Carter. You're still into her."

 

"Yes, I like her because she is a decent human being. I have Angie now and she's all I need. She makes me very happy."

 

"If you say so, Susan," Thompson said before walking off. Sousa watched him go and when he turned around, he found himself face to face with Peggy.

 

"Did you really mean that, Daniel?"

 

"Aw geez Peg, you weren't supposed to hear any of that. I'm sor-"

 

"I'm talking about Angie. Does she really make you happy?"

 

Daniel blushed, "I uh, you know how Angie is, it's impossible not to be happy around her."

 

Peggy grinned, she knew exactly what he was talking about, "you've never told her this, have you?"

 

"I haven't" Daniel said.

 

"You should. Shed really like to hear that, especially coming for you, Daniel. She really likes you."

 

"You think so?" Daniel asked, not daring to get his hopes up.

 

"I know so," Peggy laughed. "She talks about you all the time."

 

Daniel smiled, "I guess I'll talk to her then. Thanks Peg."

 

"Any time Daniel," Peggy replied before turning her attention back to Steve. They had cleared all the ice off of him and there were puddles everywhere, now they were just trying to bring his body temperature up.

 

"Excuse me Mr. Carter, Mr. Stark has requested that you be by Mr. Rogers when he wakes so he sees a familiar face, since I am sure this will all be very confusing to him."

 

"Of course Mr Jarvis," Peggy said, suddenly getting all flustered.

 

As they walked over,Jarvis said quietly to Peggy, "I think Mr. Stark needs your support for when Mr. Rogers awakens. He seems very distressed by all this."

 

As Peggy approach the table Steve was lying on, she finally got a clear look at his face. It was exactly as she remembered it, and she noticed how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. Part of his uniform have your remove to speed up the drying process and he now like of covered with a thick blanket. quietly reaching under the blanket, she found his hand and held onto it. She stood there not moving just watching him as everyone else ran around moving things out of the way, changing settings on machines, and mopping floors until there's nothing left to do but wait. At this point Howard thanked everyone for their hard work and told them that, unless they wanted to stay, they were free to go. Slowly the room emptied out until the were only five people left, Peggy, Howard, Jarvis, Sousa, and Thompson. Chairs are brought out and they all sat down to wait. Barely a minute and gone by when Peggy thought she felt Steve's hand twitch. She didn't dare say anything in case she had imagined it, but she held still in case it happened again. Finally Steve opened his eyes. Suddenly everyone was on there feet which only made him feel uncomfortable in his confusion.

 

"Peggy? Where am I? What's going on?"

 

"You're at my house, Steve. In the lab,

"Howard responded. "Ever since you decided to crash the plane two years ago we've been searching for you. One of my crews just found you a few hours ago."

 

Steve sat up, causing the blanket to fall into his lap, revealing his bare chest, "two years?" He asked in disbelief.

 

"It would have been a lot faster if you had given Peggy your coordinated before crashing. At least then we would have had some idea of where to look," Howard said, handing Steve a shirt. Everyone was silent for a moment before Sousa finally spoke up.

 

"I'm Daniel Sousa, chief of the SSR and this is Jack Thompson."

“It's nice to meet you,” Steve said shaking both their hands. He looked around the lab until his eyes landed on Peggy, who has been standing by silent just staring at them. they looked at each other not knowing what to say. it was Jarvis who broke the silence talking to Daniel and Thompson,”gentlemen if you would like to follow me, I can show you to some guest rooms for you to stay the night.” as they left, Howard also excused himself saying he had some other business to take care of and with check in later, leaving Steve and Peggy alone.

Steve looked at Peggy, finally getting a chance to study her face. her hair was slightly disheveled, she wasn't wearing her usual red lipstick and she looked and very tired, but Steve never thought she looked more beautiful.

“I'm so sorry that you two years I-”

“It's not your fault, Steve. you did what you had to do there's nothing wrong with that.”

“I never wanted to leave you,” Steve could see these eyes tear up. he opens his arms offering her a spot beside him on the table. she sat down next to him and he wrap the blanket around both of them hugging her close. she buried her face and his shoulder and it took me a second to notice but he realized she was crying hugging her close he kissed the top of her head, “I'm so sorry.”

“I never thought I'd see you again,” she sobbed finally allowing herself to let out all the sadness and grief that had consumed her over the past two years.

“I know. I won't leave you again, I promise.” 

“Don't make promises you can't keep Steve,” she said looking up at him.

“I have every intention of keeping this promise. I never want to leave you again. I love you Peggy.”

“I love you too”

Finally they said it. Those words have been hanging between them for almost as long as they known each other. Timidly, Steve leaned in, gently pressing his lips against the hers. After a moment of surprise, he felt her lean into the kiss. he could taste the salt from her tears but it was still the best kiss they had. No colonel Phillips, no Hydra, no plane crash to follow, it was just the two of them. When Steve pulled back Peggy's eyes were still closed. She kept them closes a second longer before opening them and smiling at Steve.

“Ehem.” Steve and Peggy turned around to find Howard standing in the doorway. “If you two are done, I can show you to your rooms, or room if you would like.”

Steve blushed, “I think we'll sleep in separate rooms,” he said glancing at Peggy who nodded in agreement.

They followed Howard out of the lab and headed to Steve's room first.

“There are pajamas and extra blankets in the wardrobe,” Howard told him.

“Thank you,” steve said before awkwardly giving Peggy a hug. “Goodnight Peggy.”

“Goodnight Steve.”

Finally Howard showed Peggy to her room. Normally she would protest say she can find her own way, especially since stayed in the same room every time she was forced to spend the night at Howard's, and it happened to be the room right next door to Steve's room. But tonight felt different, she could tell there was something he wanted to say to her in private, so she let him accompany her to her door.

“Thank you Howard,” she said when they arrived and her door.

“It’s nothing Peg.”

“No, really, I thought I had lost you forever and I was ready to give up but you kept pushing you brought him home Howard”

“I felt I had to. I needed closure we all did. I never thought he'd still be alive. I guess now you too can finish whatever unfinished business you have. Speaking of which I'll have to figure out a way to prevent the fact that Captain America is off the market to the press since I'm assuming you too can now be classified as dating.”

She you smiled looking over at the mall close door to Steve's room “I guess so.”

“We will discuss it all in the morning, in the meantime you need to get some rest call me or Jarvis if you need anything and Sousa and Thompson are down the hall if you need to beat someone up.”

Peggy laughed, “goodnight Howard,” she said giving him a hug

“Goodnight Peggy.”

The next morning as peggy was leaving her room, she heard Steve store open in her, “good morning Steve.”

“Good morning Peggy. did you sleep alright?”

“I did, thank you. and you?”

“I didn't really get much sleep. I feel like I've been sleeping for the past two years,” he joked.

Peggy laughed, “should we head down to breakfast?”

“Lead the way,” Steve motioned 

When they reached the kitchen everyone else was already eating pancakes and Colonel Phillips was with them.

“Good morning everyone,” Steve and Peggy greeted.

“Good morning.”

“So as I was saying,” Phillips continued, “I will give you a couple of days to get settled before we announce to the public that Captain America is alive.”

“What about Peggy?” Howard asked.

“What about Ms. Carter?” Phillips replied

“I mean is she going to have a role in Steve's public life?”

Phillips sighed before turning to Steve and Peggy, “I suggest to keep whatever this is under wraps for now. The world will be in shock already to find their golden boy is still alive we don't need to add to that he's in a relationship to that.”

Steve looked at Peggy was suddenly very interested in her pancakes before asking, “will be announced it at some point?”

“If that's what you kids really want,” Philip said as he got up. “Now, I've got a lot of work to do, it's great to have you back Steve.”

“Thank you, sir,” Steve said getting up to shake his hand.

“I can you out, sir” Jarvis said.

Later after everyone had finished breakfast they moved to the sitting room to start making plans. Daniel and Thompson found themselves sitting in large chairs opposite Steve and Peggy, who was curled up against his side.

When was settled in Howard began talking, “well obviously Steve should stay here and we should keep movement in and out of the house to a minimum. Daniel, do any other agents need to know about this or can you and Jack handle it?”

“We can manage with just the two of us,” Daniel replied.

“Good so no one else has to know how about this before we announce it”

“Actually I would like to tell one more person about Steve before we announce it to the public,” Peggy spoke up

“Would that someone be Ms. Martinelli?” Jarvis asked.

“Yes it would be.”

“Who's that?” Steve asked.

“Angie Martinelli she's my roommate and Daniel's girlfriend. She's an actress and very funny and energetic, you'll like her.”

“I'm sure it will,” Steve smiled.

“I don't think we should bring civilians into this,” Thompson interjected.

“Stark and Jarvis are civilians,” Daniel countered.

“But we need their assistance,” Thompson replied.

“So you're just using us, gee thanks,” Howard said.

“I think we should let Mr Rogers decide if Ms Martinelli can come over,” Jarvis said.

Shocked that he was given any say in the matter, Steve took a moment before replying, “I would love to meet Angie.”

“Great I'll call her right now,” Peggy said getting off the couch.

“I shall go prepare the car to pick her up,” Jarvis told Peggy.

After Peggy hung up the phone she returned to the couch next to Steve, “she's very curious to see who you are Steve.”

“You didn't tell her who she was meeting?” Steve asked.

“Not over the phone, and besides, this way we get to see her reaction.”

“I'm going to pick miss Martinelli up now,” Jarvis told Howard, “I should be back in about 10 minutes or so”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve's return is announced, along with another big step in someone's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse the bad summary, I have no idea how to write them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter :)

Peggy heard the front door opening, signaling Jarvis's return with Angie and leapt off the couch to greet them.  
"Angie! I'm so glad you made it."

"Hey English. Gosh this place is huge. Is Danny here?"

"Yeah, he's in the other room."

"So this mystery person is pretty important, huh?" Angie said. "Why do I get to meet him?"

"Because you are both very important to me and I want you to meet. And this way Daniel and I don't have to hide it from you."

"Shut up English, you talk too much," Angie smiled.

Behind them Daniel called out, "are you ladies coming?"

"Yes, we're coming," Peggy replied.

When they walked into the sitting room, Steve stood up to meet Angie.

"Oh my gosh, you're Captain America. You're huge!" Angie said, shocked.

Steve laughed, "I guess we can thank Dr. Erskine for that. It's nice to meet you, Angie."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, Angie said. It's great to meet you Cap. I've seen all of your films obviously and English has told me all about you, I just didn't expect you to be so tall. You're still tiny in the picture Peggy keeps of you."

Steve turned to Peggy, "you keep a picture of me from before the serum?"

"She does. It's on her bedside table," Angie responded for Peggy. "I'm just saying!" Angie said when she saw Peggy's expression before sitting down next to Daniel.

Steve and Peggy took their seats again when Howard spoke up, "speaking of pictures, my men found your compass in the wreckage, Steve." He pulled it out if his pocket and passed it over.

"Thank you Howard," Steve said. He opened it quickly to check that the picture was still inside. It was and still in perfect condition.

When Peggy saw him open the compass she smiled, remembering the first time she had seen it in one of his films. She could still see the expression on Colonel Philip's face when he saw it.

"What's in the compass?" Angie asked.

"A picture," Steve replied, tucking the compass into his pocket.

"You all are too much," Thompson said, setting down his coffee and standing up. "I'm going into the office, I'll see you later Chief."

After he left Angie turned her attention back to Peggy and Steve, "so are you two together?"

Peggy looked at Steve before responding, "yes we are, but we're keeping it quiet for now so the press doesn't find out."

"We can go on double dates," Angie exclaimed excited, grinning at Daniel

Steve laughed, "a double date with Angie Martinelli, sounds exciting."

"Never a dull moment with Angie," Daniel said, making Angie blush.

"That would be nice," Peggy said, taking Steve's hand in her own.

"How long have you been together?" Steve asked Angie and Daniel.

"A year," Daniel replied. "Our anniversary is this week. Peggy set us up actually."

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Howard strode back into the room. None of them had even noticed he had left. "I just got off the phone with Philips, he wants to hold a press conference on Thursday at 10am to announce Steve's return so that gives us five days to get prepared."

"Jack and I can put together a small team for security. We don't have to tell them what it's for," Daniel said.

"Sounds good," Howard replied.

"I should probably head to the office now," Daniel said as he stood up.

"I'll come with you, Daniel," Peggy said.

"There's no need, Peg. Take a sick day if you want."

Peggy glanced at Steve, it was clear she wanted to stay. "I really shouldn't, I'm sure Thompson will stir up some for if I don't show."

"I'll talk to Thompson," Daniel said. "Stay here and catch up with Steve."

"If you say so," Peggy replied, snuggling back onto the couch with Steve.

"I'll come with you, Danny," Angie said. "I have to get ready for the show in a couple hours."

"Are you an actress, Angie?" Steve asked.

"This is my first show," Angie responded happily.

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks Cap."

"I'll see you later, Angie," Peggy called out as her best friend left. "Good luck tonight!"

"See ya English," Angie shouted back.

When Angie and Daniel had gone, Howard asked Jarvis for some assistance in his lab, leaving Peggy and Steve alone.

"So, what should we do today?" Steve asked as soon as they were alone.

"I don't know. I was thinking we should catch you up on everything that's happened while you were gone, but we have time for that."

"What about you Peggy? What's happened with you?"

Peggy was silent for a moment before she responded, "I kept busy."

Steve could see that the past two years had been hard on her and decided not to ask for details. Instead he just pulled her closer as they sat in silence enjoying each others company.

 

The next few days passed quickly. Peggy spent her time telling Steve the events of the past two years and Angie insisted on showing him as many of the new films he had missed as possible. Preparations for the press conference were going well and Wednesday was soon upon them.

During their final meeting, Daniel was particularly nervous and seemed to have other things on his mind as they went over the plans one last time. They all knew he was going out to dinner with Angie to celebrate their one year anniversary, but Peggy had never seen him this nervous. When the meeting was over he was the first one to leave, saying he had to get ready.

Peggy and Steve took a short walk in the garden before they met Jarvis at the car so he could take Peggy home. Jarvis waited patiently in the car while they said goodnight to each other.

"I'll see you tomorrow Steve."

"Goodnight Peggy," he said, giving her a kiss.

 

The next morning, Peggy put on her blue suit and her usual red lipstick. They had contemplated wearing military uniforms but decided it would be best not to make it a big deal. Jarvis came by to pick her up and as she got in, she was greeted by Howard and Steve, who were both dressed in suits. Peggy had never seen Steve in anything besides his military uniform or Captain America uniform and thought he looks quite handsome.

When they reached the location for the press conference, Thompson and Sousa were already waiting. They quickly rushed Steve inside before anyone could see him while Peggy went to find Angie who had run into a nearby coffee shop to get some breakfast.

"English, so glad to see you," Angie said cheerfully as she handed Peggy a paper bag which presumably held her breakfast.

"Angie is that a-"

"What? What's wrong?" Angie asked, feigning confusion.

"On your finger, did Daniel propose last night?"

"Yes he did!" Angie squealed, no longer able to contain her excitement. 

"Congratulations darling," Peggy said giving her best friend a hug.

"You'll be my maid of honour, won't you English?"

"If that's what you want, I would be honoured," Peggy said as they went to meet up with the rest of the group.

When they found them, Angie crept up behind Daniel, surprising him with a big hug.

"Hey Ange," Daniel laughed.

"Congratulations Daniel," Peggy said, giving him a quick hug.

"Thanks Peg."

"What are we congratulating him for?" Howard asked.

"He and Angie just got engaged," Peggy said, causing them both to blush as everyone congratulated them.

"3 minutes people", Colonel Philips called out to them. "And remember, not a word about Carter and Rogers's relationship."

Jarvis quickly busied himself checking to make sure everyone looked decent and straightening Howard's jacket.

"How do I look Pegs?" Howard asked.

"Hm, it'll do," she teased after giving him a quick once over.

"You nervous Cap?" Angie asked.

"A little," he replied.

"Don't be," Peggy said, holding his hand.

"The press is waiting for you," Philips called.

"We're coming," Daniel called.

Peggy stood on her toes to give Steve a quick kiss on the cheek. "For luck," she said before following Howard out to the flashing cameras. She took her place between between Daniel and Philips as Howard approached the microphone and began his speech.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called this conference today so I'll just cut to the chase," he began. "As I am sure you all remember, two years ago we lost our very own Captain America when his plane crashed into the Arctic. And while his bravery did win us the war, we lost a great man. Since then, we have had teams scouring the ice, searching for his plane, but to no avail. Until just a few days ago when one of my teams found the wreck. We searched the plane and pulled Steve out of the ice. But little did we know that the serum had kept him alive after all this time. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to give to you Steve Rogers." 

Everyone was silent as Steve walked out. No one was expecting this. Then all of a sudden everyone was shouting for Steve's attention.

"What's it like to be back?"

"What do you plan to do now?"

"What happened on the plane?"

"Look this way!"

Peggy could see how uncomfortable Steve was with all the attention, however she wasn't the only one. Howard did his best to quiet the cameras.

Steve answered a few questions and stood for more pictures with Howard before Colonel Philips decided to end the conference.

"The press is going to have a ball with this," Howard said on the ride home. He was taking Steve and Peggy out to lunch while Thompson and Sousa went to work and Angie prepared for her show.

"Just wait until they find out I have a girlfriend," Steve laughed. "If I can call you that," he stammered, turning a brilliant shade of red. He and Peggy had never really talked about their relationship like that and he was unsure what to call her.

Peggy squeezed his hand, "yes you can call me your girlfriend," she said.

"I hope Philips lets you announce it soon," Howard said. "He's being ridiculous, making you keep it a secret."

"It's not that bad, it's nice having a bit of privacy," Steve said.

"And besides, we kept it a secret during the war, it shouldn't be too hard to do now," Peggy added.

Howard looked at them in shock, "you were together? Like together together?"

"I guess you could say that. We figured we'd wait to tell anyone and after Steve crashed the plane I didn't feel like talking about it."

"You surprise me Peggy. I thought I knew you, but you still surprise me." Howard sighed.

Steve smiled, "she's full of surprises, isn't she?" And all Howard could do was nod in agreement as Peggy turned her head to hide her reddening cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks ffor reading, hope you liked it. I'm still trying to figure out a rhythm for this fic so feel free to leave any suggestions or ideas in the comments. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Peggy goes shopping and discovers a secret

“Hey English, unbutton me, will ya?” Angie turned around and stood quietly while Peggy undid the clasps of the wedding dress she was trying on. They had been shopping for hours and Angie still hadn’t found a dress. “Thanks English,” Andie said when Peggy finished before heading behind the curtain to try on the next dress.

As Peggy sat down on the sofa to wait, she picked up one of the newspapers that sat on the table, wincing as she did so. They had successfully infiltrated a Hydra base a day ago and taken many files. The team returned with minimal damages with Peggy suffering the worst injury with a minor shoulder injury. Steve had suggested she take the day off to rest and Peggy had only agreed because Angie had asked her to go dress shopping with her. As Peggy paged through the paper, Steve’s face was on almost every page. It had already been a month since his return, but his face was still plastered on every paper in the city.

“Captain America Found Alive”

“What’s Next for Captain America?”

“Post War Captain America: The Life He Thought He’d Never Have”

All the articles were the same and Peggy never really read them. Steve had already saved all the photographs from the war that were printed, so they both avoided reading the papers for the most part.

“I think this is the one,” Angie called from behind the curtain.

“Let me see it, darling,” Peggy said, setting down the paper.

Angie stepped out in a simple yet elegant dress. It looked to be made for her. The sleeves where made out of lace, which traveled down her arms and to the front of the dress until blending with the solid fabric. A bow was draped over Angie’s waist and tied to the side, accentuating her waistline. From there the white fabric flowed gracefully down the length of the dress and bellowed out. Giving the dress a slight dramatic flair, perfect for the young actress.

“It’s beautiful, Angie.”

Angie twirled, “this is definitely it. I love it.”

Peggy smiled, “it really is perfect for you.”

Angie looked at the dress a bit more before going back behind the curtain to change. As Peggy waited, she heard the phone ring. A moment later, one of the shop ladies walked over, “Ms. Carter?”

Peggy looked up, “yes?”

“There’s someone on the phone for you.:

Peggy got up and answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Heya Marge,” came the overly happy response from the other side.

“Thompson,” she said coolly, rolling her eyes. “What do you want?”

“We need you to come into the office.”

“Thompson, it’s my day off.”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, you know I would never come to you for help, but we found a pretty important looking file. Problem is, it’s in Russian so we need a translator.”

Peggy sighed. She hated to spoil her day with Angie, but this case was important. “Fine,” she said. “But I’m bringing Angie.”

“Thanks Marge,” Thompson said before hanging up.

Peggy hung up the phone and turned around to find Angie standing behind her.

“We’re off to the office, English?”

“I’m sorry Angie.”

“It’s fine. Daniel told me how important this case is and the dress won’t be delivered until later. This’ll be fun, I rarely get to see you work and we can grab food on the way.”

Peggy smiled, amazed at how she got so lucky to have a friend like Angie, “You truly are amazing, you know that, Angie?”

Angie blushed, “shut up English, you talk too much,” she said as they walked out the door.

When they arrived at the office, agents were running around trying to figure out what to do with all the files they were done going through. Thompson and Steve were huddled at Steve’s desk and Daniel was directing some of the junior agents. As Angie and Peggy approached them, Thompson looked up, “Oh good, you made it. And just in time, I just ran out of coffee.”

Peggy could practically feel Steve’s glare as she placed the sandwiches she and Angie brought on her desk and taking off her coat. “Are you really that incompetent that you are unable to perform the simple task of pouring your own coffee,” she asked. “And besides, isn’t there a file i need to translate instead?”

“Here it is,” Steve said, reaching across his desk to grab the file. “As far as we can tell, Schmidt himself was directly involved in whatever this is, so we figured it must be pretty important.”

“Great, I’ll get started on it right away,” Peggy said, taking the file.

“How about that coffee before you get started?” Thompson asked.

“Do it yourself, Jack,” Steve said.

“I got it,” Angie said.

“You don’t have to Angie,” Peggy said, looking up.

“It’s fine. I spend years refilling people’s coffee, what’s one more cup?” Angie said, taking Thompson’s cup.

“Thanks Ange,” Thompson smiled.

A moment later Angie returned with Thompson’s coffee and a cup of tea for Peggy. “Here ya go, English,” she said, setting the cup down.

“Thank you darling,” Peggy said.

Suddenly Thompson gagged, spitting out his coffee, “what is this?” he sputtered.

“What’s what?” Angie asked innocently.

“I mean, what did you do to my coffee?”

“Nothing,” Angie replied.

“You did something,” Thompson said as he tried wiping the spilled coffee from his tie. “Coffee doesn’t get this disgusting on its own.”

“Well if you don’t like it, then maybe next time you should get your own coffee,” Angie retorted.

“Unbelieveable,” Thompson muttered as he walked off.

“Angie, what did you do?” Peggy asked, suppressing a smile.

“Nothing!” Angie said, pretending to look hurt. “Well I may have mixed up the salt and sugar, but it was an honest mistake,” she said.

“Angie!” Peggy gasped while Steve tried to hide his laughter.

“What! He had it coming to him. I can’t stand how he treats you, English.”

“I gotta agree with Angie on this one,” Steve said.

“Very funny,” Peggy smiled. “Thank you Angie.”

“Anything for my English,” Angie replied, winking at her friend.

The next few hours passed quickly as Peggy worked her way through the file. It was astonishing what Hydra wanted to do. But was perhaps even more astonishing was that they were close to achieving their goal.

Shocked at what she found, Peggy quickly went to Sousa's office. Seeing that she was done, Thompson and Steve followed her.

“What have you got, Peg?” Sousa asked when she walked in.

Peggy waited for Steve and Thompson to enter and close the door before beginning, “well it seems Hydra is trying to build their own sort of super soldier,” she said.

“The does that mean they’ve recreated Dr. Erskine’s formula?” Steve asked.

“No. It seems that they have some other form of modification . Anyway, so far they’ve only had one subject and they seem pretty close to whatever modification it is that they’re doing. Right now he’s in a lab in Russia but they’re moving him in three days to proceed with the process, which means we’ve got to act fast if we want to stop this,” Peggy finished.

“And what are they calling this super soldier?” Thompson asked.

Peggy glanced at the file to check the name, “they’re calling him ‘Зимний солдат,’ ‘The Winter Soldier.’”

“Well we’ve got to get a team out there to stop this,” Daniel said. “And once word reaches Russia that we raided one of their bases I’m sure they’ll want to move The Winter Soldier sooner. I want you three out there and take another three agents with you. You leave for Russia in 6 hours.”

“Yes sir,” Thompson said as he got up to leave. “We should see if any of the 107th can join up. They’ve got effective tactics and I’m sure they’ll want to see Steve.”

When he and Steve left, Peggy closed the door again.

“What’s up Pegs?” Daniel asked.

“I was sort of wondering if maybe you could keep Steve off this mission,” she said.

“You mean keep him here while you and Jack take a team to Russia?”

“Yes,” Peggy said slowly.

“Pegs, do you know what you’re asking? Steve’s one of the best agents we’ve got, I thought you of all people knew that.”

“It’s not that,” Peggy said.

“The what is it?”

“I just wonder if he’s ready to back in the field. He’s only been back for a month.”

“You know he’s going to fight me. What am I supposed to tell him? ‘I’m sorry Steve, Peggy doesn’t think you’re ready to go in the field yet’?”

“You could just say there’s a conflict of interest since we’re together.”

Daniel looked at her blankly, “that’s exactly why Steve would want to go.”

Peggy sighed, “you know what, forget I asked. I knew this was a long shot to begin with.”

“No. I’ll talk to him Peggy. I can tell there’s something you’re not telling me so I’ll talk to him. Just keep in mind that he’s not gonna like this and he’ll probably still try to go.”

“I know, but at least we can try. Thank you Daniel,” Peggy said as she turned to the door.

“Good luck Pegs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I am aware that I don't explain how Hydra comes back (sorry), so feel free to come up with your own theories.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment :)
> 
> Picture of Angie's dress: https://twitter.com/HaylesAtwell/status/689587612626087937 (copy and paste the link)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Steve and Peggy find the Winter Soldier

"Steve, could I talk to you?" Sousa called from his office doorway. 

"Sure thing, Chief," Steve said.

When Steve entered the office, Sousa closed the door behind him. Once they were both seated, Sousa began, "I just going to get straight to the point and Steve, please don't take this personally, but I'm going to take you off this mission."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, wearing a look of confusion.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I mean I don't think you should go to Russia"

"Daniel, I need to go to Russia. I can't just stay here not knowing what's going to happen."

"I just don't think I should send you and Peggy out together. The SSR would take a huge hit if something went wrong and we lost both of you."

"Did she ask you to take me off the mission?" Steve asked quietly.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"I said, did Peggy ask you to take me off this mission?"

When Daniel gave no response Steve stood up and said, "I'm going to Russia. I'll talks to Pegs, but I'm going. We're closing in on something big and I can't just sit back on my heels and let the rest of the team do the work. I'm sorry this is going against your orders, but you and I both know that I should go."

Daniel knew it was useless to argue. There was no debating that Steve would be a huge asset in Russia, but Peggy had seemed so desperate to have him stay and she had to have had a good reason for asking, that he felt he had to try.

"Good luck, Steve," was all Daniel said as Steve left.

Steve was hurt and confused as to why Peggy had tried to take him off the mission. It was so unlike her, she had always wanted him to do his best. As he passed Thompson he asked him if he'd seen Peggy.

"Yeah, we have her the locker room for a bit since we're all ready," Thompson told him.

"Thanks," Steve replied as he headed off.

When Steve opened the door to the locker room he heard Peggy curse quietly from the far end of the room and the rustle of fabric.

"It's me, Peg," he called out.

"Steve?" She called, peering out from having the last row of lockers, "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you privately," he said as he walked over to her. "Why did you ask Daniel to take me off the mission?"

"I don't have to justify my actions to you," she said, looking down at the bag she was packing.

"Peggy, your request is about me, I deserve an explanation."

"Steve, what if Daniel asked you on his own accord not to go, would you question him?"

"I would. And I doubt he would do that. But I want to know why you don't want me to go."

Peggy was silent.

"Look, Peg. You and I both know that I need to get back in the field. I can't just stay here like some dancing monkey for the public again, not that that's even needed even more since the war is over. You once told me that I was meant for more than that, did you really mean it?"

"Of course I meant it, Steve.”

“And do you still believe it?”

“Steve, that is a ridiculous thing to ask, you know I still believe that, and I always will.”

"Then why did you ask Daniel to take me off the mission?" At this point Steve was getting a little frustrated. He had gotten used to other agents making fun of his position, but Peggy was different, she always had been. He just couldn't understand her motives.

"Please Peggy," he asked again.

"I can't lose you, Steve. Not again," she finally said in a shaky voice.

"Peggy, you're not going to lose me, I promise."

"You can't promise that. You don't know what's out there."

"Peg, I hated having to leave you, and I can't even imagine what these past couple of years have been like for you. But we have a second chance now, and I want this one to last. I'm not going anywhere." As he said this, Steve took Peggy's hand into his, pressing their palms together. It was something they had done during the war and it always reminded them that no matter what else was happening, they always had each other and eventually it just became a habit. Peggy's hand was dwarfed by Steve's, but seeing them together calmed her a bit.

"I'm sorry Steve," she whispered.

"It's ok Peggy," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "We're going to be fine."

"I really hope so," she said, burying her face in his chest.

After a moment Steve spoke up again, "we should probably finish prepping for this mission, we're leaving soon."

Peggy nodded and reached for her bag with all her tactical gear. Steve grabbed his bag and turned to leave when Peggy asked him, "where do you think you're going?"

Steve paused, "uh, I was going to change in the next section and give you some privacy."

"Steven Rogers," Peggy said, putting her hands on her hips, "you saw me in far less during the war, if you recall." Steve blushed at the memory of the nights they spent together. "And besides," Peggy continued, turning around, "I need help with my zipper."

"Yes ma'am," Steve said as he reached up to pull her hair aside.

Peggy waited patiently as she felt Steve's hand travel down her back, pulling down her zipper. His hand brush over the two scars on her shoulder before she felt his lips against her neck. He kissed her neck then travelled down her jawline before she turned around and pressed her lips firmly against his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so. Steve wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Suddenly the locker room door opened and Thompson called out, "Carter, you still in here?"

Peggy quickly detached herself from Steve and called back, "yes, I'll be done in a couple of minutes."

"Alright, Marge. Hurry up," Thompson said before closing the door again.

Peggy sighed and then reached up to give Steve one last kiss, "I guess we should finish getting ready,” she smirked.

Steve smiled and nodded before opening up his bag to get changed.

A couple minutes later, Steve and Peggy met up with the rest of the team where Daniel was giving them some final instructions. They received some questioning looks, but no one said a word in regards to their late arrival. Daniel simply nodded when he saw them and continued with his instructions.

Before long they were on a plane headed to Russia. Peggy day next to Steve and just out of habit, she put her hand in his, seeing how they fit together, before interlocking their fingers. Thompson say across from them and saw how relaxed they looked together. In the time since Steve's rescue, he hasn't thought much about Steve and Peggy as a couple. By now their relationship was common knowledge around the office, but they were always professional, and Steve was still staying at Howard's while Peggy was at her apartment with Angie. Also, since their relationship was still a secret from the public, he'd never had much of a reason to think about it. However, now that they were sitting in front of him holding hands, he could only wonder about their time together during the war. Steve's disappearance had been a shock to the whole world, but he never really thought about how hard it must've been for Peggy, who had known him personally. And yet, she still came to work everyday and put up with their reading while being demoted to filing papers and fetching coffee.

 

Jack was shaken from his thoughts when the pilot announced that they would be dropping in ten minutes.

The team quickly prepared themselves and soon they were taking turns jumping out of the plane. Once they had buried their parachutes, they started off for the rendezvous point.

When they arrived, Dum Dum Dugan and Pinky Pinkerton were waiting for them. As soon as they were in sight, Dugan lept up from the log he was sitting on and shouted, "stars and stripes! I remembered the code word!"

Peggy and Steve both laughed as the approaches and were immediately enveloped in hugs.

"We missed ya, Cap," Dugan said, clapping Steve on the shoulder. "Why don't you try giving Peggy your coordinates the next time you decide to crash your plane into the arctic?"

Steve laughed and shook his head, "good to see you too, Dugan. And I will certainly try. However, I don't plan on crashing any planes anytime soon."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Dugan said. "Now how about we get settled at the campsite so we can catch up properly?"

The teamed nodded in agreement and followed him to the road where two trucks were waiting.

Before long, they were all settled around a campfire passing around rations and a bottle of bourbon Peggy had brought with her. Jack couldn't help but feel out of place, just as he had the first time he was in Russia with Peggy. He looked over at Ramirez and saw that he felt the same way. Peggy and Steve were so at ease with Dugan and Pinky in the rough terrain and once again, Jack found himself wondering what it must have been like for them during the war.

After a brief pause in the conversation, Dugan asked, "so when were you two planning on telling us about your relationship?"

Peggy almost choked in her water and Steve had to spit out the spoonful of beans he had just put in his mouth, "how did you know?" He sputtered.

"Come on, Cap, we always knew you were sweet on Peg. As for you, Peggy, don't think the rest of us didn't see the way you two looked at each other," Pinky said, causing both Steve and Peggy to blush.

"The rest of the team might have been a little slow to take notice, but Sergeant Barnes certainly wasn't and he wasted no time in spreading the word," Dugan added.

The conversation stopped abruptly while everyone let Dugan's words sunk in. No one has really mentioned Bucky to Steve since he had been thawed, since no one quite knew how to approach the subject.

Peggy leaned her head against Steve's shoulder and after another moment Steve finally spoke up, "Buck was quite a character, wasn't he?"

"He sure was," the team agreed.

Thompson looked around at all their faces and he could see how deeply they all felt Bucky's loss. He had sensed the same thing the last time he was with the Howling Commandos in regards to Steve, but none of that compared to the.look of loss and sadness on Steve's face as he rested his head on Peggy's.

They finished their dinner in silence before they all began turning on for the night. Ramirez went first, followed by Pinky and Dugan. Finally Peggy got up and giving Steve's hand a quick squeeze, headed for her tent.

"I'm just going to wait for the fire to go out to go to bed," Steve told Thompson.  
"Ok," Thompson said uncertainly, "I guess I'll hit the sack then. Good night, Steve."

"Good night Jack."

The next morning no said a word when Steve crawled out of Peggy's tent after her. Neither of them looked like they had gotten much sleep. After a quick breakfast and a review of the plan for the mission, they were on their way to the warehouse where the Winter Soldier was supposedly being held.

When they arrived, they split into two teams, with Peggy, Steve and Pinky on one team and Dugan, Thompson and Ramirez on the other.

As they searched the warehouse, they found that is was completely deserted, they were either wrong about the location or Hydra figured out which file they had stolen and cleared out quickly. Still, they checked every room to make sure they were all empty.

Steve, Peggy, and Pinky quickly found a large room that was mostly empty, save a few wooden crates on one side and a table with a large metal container of some sort sitting beside it on the other. As they started to make their way across the room to investigate, three Hydra agents appeared in the doorway they had just come through and started firing. Pausing only to shoot behind them, Steve and Peggy sprinted to take cover behind the metal container while Pinky made his way to the crates.

"Dugan!" Peggy shouted into her radio, "some backup would be appreciated."

Seconds later, two of the crates Pinky was hiding behind were blasted open. As their contents tumbled out, Peggy noticed that there was a metal arm among the other bits of debris and tools. Pinky looked just as confused as she was when he saw the arm and Peggy turned to Steve to see if he had noticed it too to find him standing over the metal container, completely frozen in shock. Thankfully he had just shot the mast Hydra agent or else they could've killed him since he was showing no awareness to the events going on around him.

"Steve!" Peggy called, knowing that more agents were probably on their way.

A second later four more agents burst through the door and started firing. Peggy immediately shot one while Pinky took out a second one, but Steve was still dead to the world as he stood over the container.

"Steve!" Peggy shouted again, this time yanking him down. "Snap out of it, we need your help."

"It's- it's Bucky," Steve stuttered.

"What are you talking about, Steve?"

"Bucky. He's in there. In the container. He's the Winter Soldier."

"Steve, Bucky died. He fell off the train. He's gone, Steve."

"And no body was never recovered. It's him, Peggy. I don't know how, but it's him. Look for yourself."

Peggy sighed and peered out over the top of the container where the agents were still engaged in a firefight. Sucking in her breath, Peggy stood and started firing at them while she looked into the container. Most of the top was frosted over but there was a small opening near the top through which she could see a man's face. It was dirty and pale, and his hair had grown down to his shoulders, but there was no doubt that it was Bucky.

Ducking back down, Peggy grabbed her radio again, "Dugan, where the bloody hell are you?"

A second later a hole was blasted in the wall beside them, letting in a stream of light from outside. Dugan strutted in, guns ablaze. "No need to shout, Peg, I'm right here," he called over the gunfire.

Peggy couldn't help but smile a little at Dugan's antics, "back the truck in as close as you can," she called to Thompson, who had stuck his head out the window of the driver's seat. "We've got a package to stick in the back," she said, motioning to the metal container.

As Thompson backed the truck up, Peggy ordered Pinky, Dugan and Steve , who seemed to have recovered his senses some, to get the container to the truck where Ramirez would help them load it in while she held off the remaining Hydra agents.

When Dugan looked at Steve, he just said, "gotta do what Peggy says," as he positioned himself to lift the container. Pinky ran over to them and grabbed a side of the container while Peggy fired at the Hydra agents.

Once they had Bucky in the truck, Ramirez called out to peggy, who quickly grabbed the metal arm and ran for the truck. When we reached them, Dugan and Pinky pulled her into the truck as Ramirez shouted to Thompson to start driving. Once they started moving, Peggy, who was laying on the floor after being pulled in, looked around at the faces of her team. "I hate you all," she said with a small smile before getting up to check on Steve.

During the ride to the airfield, no one said much. There were no major injuries, but small cuts and bruises were tended to and Dugan took over driving once they were a safe distance from the warehouse. The metal arm Peggy had retrieved had been wrapped as securely as possible with what was available and Peggy sat with her head resting on Steve's shoulder and her hand in his.

When they reached the airfield, Thompson and Ramirez helped secure Bucky into the plane while Steve and Peggy said goodbye to Dugan and Pinky.

"I guess there's no point in trying to convince you two to stay in Europe with us," Dugan said.

Peggy laughed and shook her head, "New York is our home and now with Bucky..." she trailed off but Dugan understood. "Well I guess we'll have to haul our asses out to New York then," he laughed.

"You're always welcome there," Steve said.

"Thanks Steve," Dugan said. He paused for a moment and then spoke up again, "hey Cap, what do you think of the nickname Miss Union Jack for Peg here?"

Steve took one look at Peggy's face and laughed, "you've tried this on her already, haven't you?"

Dugan let out a sigh, "you two are hopeless," he said. "I ran it by her last time she was here and she told me to never speak again."

Steve grinned, but before he could respond , Thompson called out to them from the plane, "Carter! Rogers! We gotta get going."

"Well I guess this is goodbye for now," Steve said.

"Keep us updated on Bucky," Dugan said as he hugged Steve.

"Come to New York and keep yourself updated," Peggy smirked.

"We might have to," laughed Pinky.

"Just give us a ring if you do," Steve said.

"Will do, Captain," Dugan replied. "Take care of our girl in the meantime."

"He always does," Peggy said, giving Dugan one last hug before she and Steve headed for the plane.

Once everyone was settled in, Peggy rested her head on Steve's shoulder again, "we'll figure out what happened to him," she said.

Steve kissed her forehead before replying, "I hope so, Peggy. I really hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update, school and life got in the way unfortunately. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a comment! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hopefully I'll be able to continue this chronologically and not jump around to different points in their lives, but we'll see. Let me know what you think in the comments :)


End file.
